Little Falls transcript., 1887-06-10
1 Western Reserve Pioneers.

The Western Reserve Of Ohio receiv-
Led in its settlers the blood of New
England. Those men journeyed thith-
Ter in springless wagons, or in sleds,
following through the woods trails
which were so narrow that q passage
for their teams had to becut. Months
were occupied in the fatiguing, uncom-
Portable journey during which the
emigrants encountered sickness, hun
ger, wild beasts, and wilder Indians.
When ''the land of promise was
reached. q log-hrt, with creased paper
for windows, a door OF split boards,
and q rude floor, was run up. The
inmates Of one log.cabin chung up a
quilt, and that, with a big bull dog,
constituted the door," Wooden
dishes and bowls were used for years
after the arrival ofthe settlers. When
yellow clay dishes and bowls were
made, the hardy housewives looked
upon them as luxuries.
The pioneer mothers were gifted
with a "faculty." They made mince-
| pies Of pumpkin instead of apple, and
with vinegar in place OF wine and
cider, and they used bears meat in
stead Of beef. These pies were sweet
ened with wild honey, and seasoned
with pulverized pepper.
Salt was brought from Onondaga,
N. Y, OF ox-tean1s or pack-horses,
and cost twenty dollars g. barrel.
Later on, q salt spring was discover
ed, to which people from all parts OF
the reserve repaired in the spring,
with g. kettle, to manufacture their
| own salt.
Corn bread, baked on a clean board
before a roaring fire, was the staple
article Of diet. It was served smoking
hot, and with it bowl of milk and a
wooden spoon. The corn was ground
in the hollow OF an oak stump; the
| grinding was accomplished by pound
ing with a stone pestle, hung to a
spring pole. Afterwards hand mills
came into use, which required two
hours Of steady turning to grind meal
enough to supply q days food to one
person.
! The annals OF one of the old families
OF the reserve record that for three
months a younger son looked after
the supply of corn meal. He had
chills and feYer, and the nearest hand
mill was at neighbours five miles
distant.
He harmonized his work and his
''shakes." In the morning, as soon as
the first 'shake' was over, he walked
to the neighbours, carrying peck OF
corn. He would grind his grist, wait
until the second. "shake" had passed,
and then walk home.
Another family, whose head was
away seeking food, lived for three days
on boiled beech leaves. On thefourth
day. the smallest son. twelve years
old, rushed into the cabin, crying,
"Give me the gun! can shoot a
deer!''
The mother took down the gun from
| the rack, gave it to the boy, and bade
| the children hush and listen. The re-
| port and the shout told OF the boys
| success; he had killed a fine deer.
The father of another family went
twenty miles to buy provisions. His
| wife and three children were so
destitute during his absence that she
smptied the straw of her bed on the
cabin floor, and picked it over tc OBJ
tain what wheat she could. She gath
| cred a handful, which she boiled and
| gave to her children.
A wild turkey approached the cabin,
she heard it call, and took down her
husbands rifle, which she had been
taught to handle. There was but one
charge OF powder in the house, and
that was in the gun. She realized the
situation, but, controlling her nerves,
crept near the bird, and fired. The
| turkey fell dead, and she had food for
her little ones.
| and every cabin had it's wolf Or bear
story. There was scarcely a pioneer
but could brag OF having been chased
up g. tree by a black bear. The wom-
en- could tell OF their rude strategy to
keep the many wolves from the door.
One woman burned gunpowder in a
spoon, held through a crevice in her
log-cabin, to frighten away the wolves.
Another kept the spinning wheel going
all night, so that her little ones would
not be scared by the howllngs OF the
hungry wolves.
Women had to be brave. One WON.
an heard in the evening the howlings
OF wolves. She had few sheep, and
having put the children to bed, she
lighted a torch and sailed forth. She
found the sheep huddled together in
the pasture, and saw the dark forms
OF the skulking wolves. The sheep
followed her home, where she built a
large fire, and thus kept the beasts Of
prey at bay.